Fluid coupling



April 18,- 1944. l E. VL.. BAILEY 2,347,673

FLUID COUPLING original Filed Aug. 24,v 1940 INVENOR f ATTORNEYS- Patented Apr. 18, 1944 UNITED ls'rxr'as 'PATENT' oFFi'cE FLUID COUPLING Edgar L. Bailey, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Original application August 24, 1940, Serial No. 354,015. Divided and this application April 24, 1941, Serial No. 390,019

i 4 Claims. (Cl. 10S-115) This invention relates to iiuid drive-transmitting devices and refers more particularly to improvements in the fabrication or assembly of such devices.

One type of fluid driving devices which I have chosen to illustrate the principles of my invention is known as a uid coupling of the Fttinger type although my invention is not limited in its broader aspects to any particular type of fluid coupling.

`For example, my invention is applicable to fluid couplings of the torque multiplying type or other types wherein the driving and driven members of the device comprise vaned fluid conducting passages.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 354,015, iiled August 24, 1940, and is particularly directed to my improved construction of fluidcoupling as distinguished from my method of fabricating the coupling which forms the subject matter of said cepending application. Inasmuch as the uid coupling cessive weight, cost and variation in the, density of the cast metal giving rise to bursting of the couplings at high speed. It is therefore preferred to fabricate the coupling members of steel stampings and this is generally done by providing each of the vanes with tabs which are individually welded to the dished vane-carrying cover. Such practice entails a large number ofa Welds and is slow and costly.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved coupling member so constructed as to facilitatewelding or brazing of the component parts.

An additional object is to provide improvements in uid coupling fabrication whereby distortion is guarded again.

Another object is to provide simple means adapted for efiicient manufacture for facilitating the location of the coupling vanes during assembly thereof, and to provide means for utilizing An additional object isfto provide a coupling 55 thereof. 4For member which presents a smooth uid flow circuit whereby eicient operation of the coupling is obtained.

Additional objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following specification of certain typical illustrative embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational .view of a coupling member after assembly of the vanes and subsequent to the brazlng process.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view illustrating the manner of assembly of the vanes and bonding metal for a coupling member prepara- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of the Fig. 4 coupling member with the parts assembled ready for brazing.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated the principles of my invention in connection with a simple form of iiuid coupling of the type having planar or non-curving vanes A extending radially from the axis of rotation l0, the vanes being circumferentially spaced from-each -other in the 'vane-carrying hemi-toroidal cover or housing B. The dished cover B forms a wall for the various uid conducting vane passages defined by the spaces between adjacent varies. The illustrated coupling member may be either theimpeller or the runner of a fluid coupling, it being understood that a pair of the coupling members, each of which may be of the type shown in Fig. 1, are juxtaposed in driving relationship l with the open portions of the vane passages fac-l other structures between which it is desired to transmit drive through the fluid coupling.

I have provided means cooperating between the vanes A and cover B to qu'icklyand securely 'position the vanes in proper position preparatory to the brazing process, the cover being thereby also reinforced by employing the vanes to tiethe inner andy outer regions of the dished cover mechanically together against warping 'during the brazing process. To this end the cover is pro- .vided with a, series of circumferentially spaced 'slots H at the outer periphery thereof and a second series" of circumferentially spaced slots or openings I2 adjacent the inner periphery the type of ,Yanes illustrated, pairs oi! its vane A.

In assembling the vanes, the cover B is preferably placed on a suitable support positioned as in Fig. 2 with the dished or concave working chamber 4facing upwardly and then the vanes A are assembled in place. Each vane A is assembled by engaging its hook I4 in a slot I2, the vane being tilted by raising the outer end as illustrated in Fig. 2. The notch I2 will accommodate entry of hook Il in its notch and then the outer end of the vane is lowered to engage the hook I3 in a slot II the projecting portions of the hooks I3 and I4 engaging the outer surface of cover Bv in interlocking relationship therewith whereby the vanes act as tension members securely hold. ing the housing against warping. By preference the vane edges at the hookiportions. also engage the inner surface of the housing.

When the vanes have been assembled then the .bonding metal is placed in position preparatory to brazing. This brazing is eiected in a suitable non-oxidizing atmosphere and in itself is well,

known commercially. A convenient atmosphere is hydrogen and the art of hydrogen welding is well known. ,The bonding metal is preferably copper or a suitable alloy of copper and is positioned so that when subjected to heat the copper will ow along the contacting surfaces between the AvanesA and housing B thereby forming a weld or fused bond with the iron in the steel stampings of the vanes and housing. For convenience the bonding metal may be referredvto as copper although any alloy may be used which is suitable for the brazing in the reducing atmosphere.

The bonding copper may be conveniently applied as a return bent element I5. Any number of these elements may be suspended on the upper edge of ea'ch vane A when positioned as in Fig. 2.

In this View I have shown two oi these hairpinlike elements IB for each vane, the elements being respectively applied adjacent the hooks I3 and Il. In additioma ring of copper I1 may be applied around the attaching hub portion IB of cover'B, this copper ring Aresting in the notch I5 as shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 3 the return bent elements are in the i'orm of channels I6' which respectively rest on the upper edges of vanes A.v

In Fig. 4 the vanes A' are' each recessed at I 9 to receive an inner dished hemi-toroidal stamping 20 where it is desired to provide ayvortex chamber portion 2l for the coupling member.l In Fig. 4, assuming that the hairpin elements I6 of Fig. 2 are employed, then additional elements I6 are assembled on each vane adjacent ring 20 to insure flow of the copper at the contacting' sur-I hydrogen welding process. This usually comprises .phererto prevent oxidizing.

During the aforesaid hydrogen copper -brazlng process, the copper melts and flows by capillary attraction so that the copper nds its way-around the inside of cover B at the engagement therewith by the vanes A, also at the contacts between the cover and hooks I3 and I4 as well as between the inner cover 20 and vanes A' in the case of the Fig. 4 embodiment.- The copper fuses with the iron at the junctures of the cover and vanes and forms a secure weld of these parts. This forms a copper-iron alloy film` 22 between adjacent sua'- faces of the vanes and cover. vDuring the brazing process the vanes hold the cover B against warping andv particularly against radial expan- 'sion incident to relief of the cooling strains in the steel cover B.

After the brazing process-has been completed, the coupling member is ready for operative assembly with its companion coupling member although,- if desired, the projecting portions oi the hooks I3 and I4 may be ground oi ilush with the outer surface of the cover B. f Iclairn:

1. A'vaned iiuid drive-transmitting structure comprising a cover having a hemi-toroidal dished fluid circulating chamber provided with inner and outer. peripheral bounding portions, each of said bounding portions being formed with an annular' series of slots,'a 1p1urality of vanes adapted for positioning in circumferentially `spaced re- .'lationship with respect to each other in said dishedchamber, each of said vanes having a hook-like projection adapted to engage a slot of one of said series, each of said vanes having a second hook-likeprojection, the projections of each of said vanes ext-ending in relatively opposite directions and being so constructed and arranged that the second said hook-like projection of each of said vanes will engage a slot of the other of said series thereby providing interlocking connection of the vanes with said cover.

2. A vaned lfluid drive-transmitting structure comprising a cover having a hemi-toroidal dished fluid circulating chamber provided with inner and outer peripheral bounding portions, each of said bounding portions being formed with an annular series ofy slots, one of said bounding portions having its said series of slots formed in the margin thereof whereby these slots are marginally open, a plurality of vanes adapt-ed for posif tioning in circumferentially spaced relationship with respect to each other in said dished chamber, each of said vanes having a pair of hook-like projections extending in relatively opposite di, rections, each of said vanes comprising a substantially -at body portion from which said hook-like portions extend so as to lie approximately in a common plane containing said body portion.

3. A vaned 'uid drive-transmitting structure comprising a. cover having a hemi-toroidal dished iluid circulating chamber formed with oppositely,

disposed innerl and outer boundary walls, each of said walls being. formed with anannular s'eries of slots, a plurality 'oi vanesdisposed on Y ledge in circumferentially spaced relationship withrespect to each other in said chamber. the Y surfaces ot said varies extending across said chamber from one wall to the other wall and between theV slots formed therein, each vane hav,

ing a hook-like projection extending from opposite sides thereof -and constituting an extension of the surface `of the vane, the projection on one sicle entering one slot and engaging the exterior oi the wall in which said 's lot is formed, the projection on the other side of the vane entering a slot formed in the opposite wall and engaging the exterior of said wall, thereby to provide, without distortion oi' said projections with respect to the surface of said vane, an interlocking connection f between the vanes and cover.

4. A vaned fluid drive-transmitting structure comprising a hemi-toroidal'dished uid circulating chamber provided with inner and outer oppositely disposed peripheral boundary walls, one

of saidrwalls beingformed with an annular. seriesi of slots extending Atherethrough such tl'iatl each '-slot is marginally surrounded bybthe material oi' said wall. the other of` said walls being'iormed 5 v with another annular series of slots4 therein such,-

that each is marginally openfa plurality o! varies' positioned in circumferentiallyspaced relationship with respect to each other injsaid] dished chamber and between .said walls, Yeach of,v said` 10 vanes having'a hook-like p'rojectionon opposite@ f vsides thereof, said projections being continuations,`

of the natural surface oi.' the vanes,"said projec-Y tions entering a slot on each wall and engaging the surface thereof Ato f orm interlocking connec- 15 tions between the vanes and cover, said vprojections and slots engaged thereby being `located in a common line whereby the marginally js'urrounded slot is a center of rotation for the said vane and other projection in a path including the 20 marginally open slot.

EDGAR L. BAILEY. 

